I Am Not Your Negro (2017)

I Am Not Your Negro (2017)

A vivid portrayal of an incendiary intellectual – and an angry appeal for civil rights

The Very Best

8.9

Movie

Belgium, France
English, French
Documentary
2017
RAOUL PECK
Bob Dylan, Dick Cavett, H. Rap Brown
93 min

What it's about

Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.

The take

In a stunning and vivid (re-) introduction to the Black intellectual, author, and social critic, James Baldwin, this movie digs very deep into the American subconscious and racial history. It tells the story of America by telling the story of “the negro” in America, based on a book Baldwin started to write, which would have studied the famous assassinations of three of Baldwin's friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. He wrote about 30 pages before he passed away in 1987. Haitian director and activist Raoul Peck picked up the project and made it into a movie, earning him an Academy Award nomination. Narrated by none other than Samuel L. Jackson, I Am Not Your Negro highlights, at the same time, Baldwin's genius, his unique eloquence, and the beauty of his soul as a human being. It is a sad truth that Baldwin's denouncements feel as relevant today as they did 50 years ago. As such, this movie serves as a sobering reminder of how far America still has to go. A mesmerizing experience!

Active Streaming Deals

$50 Off DirecTV Stream

$74.99

$64.99

Active Streaming Deals

69% Off NordVPN + 3 months Free

$14.99

$4.99

Active Streaming Deals

50% Off Sling

$40

$20

Active Streaming Deals

49% Off ExpressVPN

$12.95

$6.67

Comments

This film doesn’t feel like a documentary at all – the narrative is so captivating and the subject matter so relevant even today. Worth watching before immediately buying all of Baldwin’s literature!

Add a comment

What did you think? Who should watch it?

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Frybread Face and Me (2023)

A gorgeous and tender coming-of-age addition to the Indigenous New Wave

8.0

Nightmare Alley (2021)

A psychological thriller of the highest quality, masked as an adult fairytale, by the great Guillermo del Toro

9.0

Zero Days (2016)

A rich and informative documentary that serves as a wake-up call to the threat of cyber warfare.

9.1

Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words (2015)

7.3

Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2011)

An exploration of the Chauvet Cave turned into a meditation of the human soul

7.9

Science Fair (2018)

An inspiring doc spotlighting the phenomenal STEM talents on our horizon

7.7

Cypher (2022)

A peculiar mockumentary that doesn't commit to more interesting fictional touches

5.0

Last Call for Istanbul (2023)

A seemingly generic Turkish romance travel film, until it gets into its second half

7.0

Elena Knows (2023)

A moving mother-daughter drama based on a Booker Prize shortlist novel

7.5

A Deadly Invitation (2023)

A Mexican whodunit that feels more like an infodump than a compelling murder mystery

5.5

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2023 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.